Moon Bath
by ghanathesaiyan4
Summary: Jack has a lot to figure out, a baby sitting gig, and an affinity for baths. -Post movie


Moon Bath

A/N: Let's all take a moment to remember that Sophie is 2. This isn't a pedophile story. This is a baby-sitting type story. I, personally, think it's adorable. Liberties were taken with Jack's pre-guardian life.

We always took baths on Saturday nights, even in the dead of winter. On this particular night, I trooped out to the rain-water barrel, pausing a moment to stop and admire the world all ghostly with snow. The stars frosty in the inky sky and only the dimmest light from the candle on the kitchen table. Yet the moon and snow seemed to call me out, to leave the tub and go into the winter woods. Shaking myself of those thoughts, I filled the washtub with ice and snow to lug it back where my little sister had the door open. I lifted the tub up on the stove and let it heat up, to be melted. My mother had already gone to bed and I pulled the tub down, careful not to slosh water, so that my little sister could take her bath. While she did, I went up into the loft to lay down until she called for me, "Jack." I hurried to her side where I examined her; looking up and down her body I shifted her hair to look behind her ears to see if they were clean. "Looks good, elephant." I said with my normal teasing grin. She laughed cutely, then I pressed a kiss to her forehead and sent her scampering up to the loft so I could take my bath. I hauled the tub outside and scrubbed it clean, refilling it with ice and letting it melt. My clean nightclothes were hanging on a chair close to the stove staying warm. I stripped fast and slid into the tub before the winter could capture me. I grabbed a washcloth and dug my fingers into the jar of slimy soft soap and smeared it over the washcloth. Scrubbing myself clean I crouched, the water barely reaching my calves and I was burning on my wet stomach, but my back was tingling in cold. I turned so that my back seemed to blister in the heat, but my front was very cold. I washed as fast as possible and dried myself off thoroughly. I pulled on my cream nightshirt and woolen pants before climbing up the ladder and blew out the candle. Sinking into my straw mattress I fell asleep listening to my sister's smooth breathing. Yet in my final moments before sleep the moon and wind seemed to whisper a name.

I knelt down by the tub and turned the facet perfectly happy as water came gushing out. Running water still was a bit of a novelty to me. It took a moment to heat up enough for me to feel it and I adjusted it shoving my forearm, hoodie sleeve efficiently rolled up, into the water to check the temperature. Good, not too hot or too cool. I stood up and moved to the door with a smile, "Come along, Soph. Bath time." The little blonde-haired girl giggled and raced towards the bathtub, unfortunately she forgot that the floor was wet and started to slip but I snagged her up and set her on the counter. "Alright." I cooed as I started to pull her clothes off; she giggled and I puffed a breath out, a delicate snowflake fluttering around her to get her to stay still. I helped her hop down and swung her into the tub. I smiled at her when she didn't complain about the water, "Good girl." She splashed around while I washed her hair and later, I left her to play with a rubber duck as I grabbed her some clothes. I hauled her out of the tub and wrapped her in a fluffy towel, drying her off. I presented the pajamas to her and she accepted them, laughing as she saw the bunny designs. "Hop, hop, hop!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "Yes, now hop hop to bed." She matched my faint smile with a beaming grin and rushed down the hall. I followed at a more leisurely pace, entering her crazy messy room. It took two stories to get her to sleep, meanwhile I could hear Jamie taking a shower. She eventually fell asleep and I pried her hands off my neck and moved to check on Jamie. I clicked on the night light and turned to face Jamie who had moved behind me with a towel draped across his damp hair, "Hey kiddo. You take a good shower?" Jamie nodded so I moved to grab the towel and scrub his damp hair furiously. "Ow!" Jamie cried out and I stopped scrubbing and made it up by slowly massaging his scalp through the towel. Jamie sighed and leaned into me while I finished drying his hair. "So, you took a good shower?" I asked as I threw the towel in the dirty clothes hamper. "Yeah." Jamie replied climbing into bed. "Good if not I'd have to give you My version of a shower." Jamie seemed to be picking up my mischievous grin well, "What's that like?" He asked practically begging me to take the opportunity. I smirked, "A bathtub full of snow." Jamie giggled and jumped on his bed, "Sounds cool." I jumped on the bait, "It is." Jamie cracked up while yawning making me laugh softly, "Alright kiddo, you need to go to sleep, you've got school tomorrow." Jamie groaned and I carefully sat on his bed, "You know I'm right. I can't make a snow day in the middle of September, the other spirits would have my hide, but this winter I'll bring the snow, promise." Jamie looked at me with large brown eyes full of trust, "Promise?" I grinned, "Definitely." Jamie's drooping eyes locked on mine as he fell asleep and I relished his gaze, after 300 years, I was finally seen. With a stretch, I left his room, heading downstairs to check on the old woman babysitter that I had knocked out earlier with a bit of borrowed dream sand. Still asleep, right where I left her on the couch, which was good considering Jamie's mom was gone all night and I didn't want some stranger to take care of them tonight. Finally convinced, I snagged my staff from the coat rack and left, flying out of their house to a sit on a rooftop nearby. I waited, perched like one of the frozen statues I created, until tendrils of golden sand swirled into the house. Sophie's dream was about eggs dancing with ducks which made me laugh softly, but Jamie's dreams were of snowflakes and sleds. I blinked my sapphire eyes a little too fast but brushed it off. There was a snowstorm in Germany that needed attending to.

I jumped off the roof, calling for the wind, "To Germany!" I yelled laughing. I made a fast stop to give snow to a town in Canada, because why not and sped across the sea. The moon was still slowly rising in the sky while I whooped with joy and dropped from the sky to run on the sea, which froze with my every step. I ran several feet to gain speed then slid across the waves. I went faster and faster, running and sliding till I felt like I could reach out and touch the moon itself. Then a voice that I had only heard once before spoke, "Then reach." I froze in my tracks, skidding to a stop on top of the frozen waves. "What?" I asked, looking around wildly. "Reach." The voice said again, soothing my soul with its warmth, "Man in Moon?" "Hello, Jack Frost." The last two words whispered in my ears like the wind. "You're talking to me?" "I am." "But- you- I…" I threw up my hands, one of which still wrapped tightly around my staff, up in the air, "Why?" "Oh, you know why, Jack Frost." I did and I answered, "It's because I saved my little sister, and because I had fun." "Yes. Are you still having fun, Jack Frost?" "Yes! I am, I really am." I pleaded to Manny. "Then show it, laugh harder, smile more! You were made for fun. So, live like it. And remember, you weren't called for this purpose, you were made." And the voice as drawing away, echoing beautifully in my mind and soul. "You were made for fun, Jack Frost." And then it was gone. I gasped and sank to my knees, feeling lighthearted and giddy. Frozen tears were sliding down my cheeks and I flopped on my back, "Oh, my. Oh!" So this is what it felt like to know without a shadow of a doubt who you were. This is what I had been missing for so long, this is what I had died and reborn for. I got on my knees again, staff in hand, shaking my head in exhilaration; what a feeling! I called to the wind again and flew feeling even lighter than normal.

I created the storm in Germany with an ease and passion I hadn't felt since my ceremony into guardian-hood. It was just a hop, skip and a flight away from the North Pole after that. I needed to speak to someone, and North was as good as a person to talk to. Tooth was technically closer, and Sandman was always around but they were busy at night, so I went for North. I arrived with a loud bang because I may or may not have slammed into an entire stack of toy drums in my haste. The elves scattered and a few of the yetis grunted a harried greeting. I laughed brushing myself off and waved before sprinting to North's private workshop. I almost ran into Phil, who was carrying toys, and I spun fast on my heal to avoid him then crashed directly into a big body. I was knocked backwards, sprawled out across the floor looking up and smiling, "Hey, North, what's up? Don't answer that, it's you right?" North's laugh boomed out, "Jack! Was not expecting you, welcome!" He reached down and picked me off the floor, setting me down gently. "How you been?" He beamed down at me and I smiled back, all night I had been craning my head down at the Bennett kids so tilting my head up suddenly was interesting. "Great- fantastic-awesome!" I blurted out and kicked my staff into my hands nonchalantly. North laughed again, "You had good day then?!" "Like you wouldn't believe, I talked to The Man in Moon and he talked back!" I chirped. North looked as eager as I felt, "You talked to Manny, eh? This big news, what did old friend have to say?" I suddenly felt bashful and shuffled nervously. North picking up on this, touched my shoulder and led me to his private workshop. North started to work happily humming as he carved slowly into an ice block. I perched on the windowsill and sat there in silence letting my head touch the window with my staff resting on my knees. After a while an elf came chiming over to me and offered me a cup of hot chocolate. I smiled softly, picking it up from the tray he held, "Thank you." The elf's tiny face crinkled into a smile and he hurried off. I cooled the steaming liquid off with a puff of icy breath. Finally, I spoke, "He spoke to me after 300 years directly and they were words I wouldn't have understood- questions I wouldn't have known the answers to before Pitch." North nodded from where he was working, "Before you became Guardian." I sighed, "Before I knew my center." There was a deep hum as the ice chippings continued to fall to the floor. "I… he-, his words were-" Ugh, why couldn't I speak now? North supplied helpfully, "Everything you needed to hear." "And more." I said softly. North grinned, "Manny has way of doing that." "Yeah." I agreed. After a second, he asked me, "So what now? You continue on like usual?" That was the question wasn't it? To continue being me. "Yeah. But first I think I need a bath." I finished dryly, casting a look at him. North's boisterous laugh rang out, "Of course. Take staircase to right and go down, first door on left, can't miss it. Off with you, my boy!" I jumped from the windowsill and as I passed him and his newly made toy train I refroze it so the details showed even more and it glowed from the inside out. I flashed the Guardian of Wonder a grin and hurried out.

I followed North's instruction which took me deep into the bowels of the workshop. Upon finding the room he told me about I opened the door into a dark room with ancient stones composing the ceiling, floor and walls. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw a weird wooden covering in the middle of the floor but no bathtub. I glanced around and saw a towel and a bar of soap on a three-legged stool and a mirror hanging from one of the walls. "Helpful, only I don't have water." I said to nobody in particular, a habit you managed to pick up after 300 years of being ignored and unseen by the world. And the moon. I walked over to the wood and frowned when I saw a weird leather handle sticking out. I bent down and tugged on it surprised when it moved upwards. I yanked it out of the way and stared. It wasn't even a tub; it was just a pool of water in the middle of the floor. I laughed to myself and carefully dipped a toe into the water then yanked it back with a gasp. Wow, that was hot! I froze the top of the water, creating a thin sheet of ice and started to strip. Belt off, pants off, hoodie off and that was about it. I glanced at myself in the mirror and smiled, though it wasn't who I started out as I had grown to love my white hair, pale skin and deep blue eyes, it seemed so… Jack Frost. And it was the appearance that the Man in Moon gave me, to be me. Jack Frost, the spirit of winter and Guardian of Fun. The last title was earned after 300 years of solitude. Now I was seen, believed in, trusted by the other Guardians. I had believers, a family, and now Manny even talked to me. Everything I had always wanted and yearned for. I walked over to the pool and broke the ice carefully then slid into the pool of water. Oh, yes. It was perfect, so cold and refreshing. Tendrils of frost came from where my body touched the water and the chunks of ice made everything just great. I loved baths, I didn't like hot ones though anymore, those burned my skin like crazy. Ice baths were incredible, they made me feel alive. I spent a while just lying there in the water, relaxing. When I finally left the water, icicles formed around my body and I shook them off with a laugh. I didn't have to worry about catching a cold so as soon as I put my clothes, I went out into the frozen snow-capped land of the North Pole.

At one point I was simply gliding with the wind with what seemed like frozen stars above and the moon casting its light on me and said for the entire world to witness, "This is where my life really begins." My name is Jack Frost, I know it because the Moon told me so, but I didn't need the Moon to tell me that I had a family, and was believed in and that I was going to have so much fun being a Guardian and just living.

I already knew.

A/N 2: I finished this story in 2015 but never posted it. Today I finally did and got a review which made me realize that I had just posted this without rereading it and I could do better, so here's an updated version.


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